Champagne of the South

     Something I never experienced north of the Mason-Dixon line is a staple of seemingly every home in the South. It is sweet tea.  Served in restaurants and kitchens everywhere in Dixie it became a rejuvenating treat for me during my culinary research at the North Carolina State BBQ Championships.


     I'm told it is best drunk from a tall, wide-mouth glass with clear fresh ice cubes or heaps of crushed ice, so say Jane & Michael Stern in their book The Lexicon of Real American Food.  It can be upgraded to elegant by squeezing a little lemon in it or by adding a sprig of mint.  Sweet tea accompanies every meal in the South.

     One important rule for making sweet tea, according to Louis Van Dyke of the Blue Willow Inn of Social Circle, Georgia, is to use regular supermarket tea, not fancy gourmet tea, and to make it sweeter than you think it should be.  The motto of the Blue Willow Inn is to serve the tea "strong and just a little too sweet."  Here's their recipe:

Blue Willow Inn Sweet Tea

1 gallon water

4-5 family size tea bags (each one is enough for a quart of tea)

3 cups sugar, at least

Lemon slices to garnish (optional)

Sprig of mint (optional)

Bring the water to a boil in a 1 1/2 gallon saucepan.  Turn off the heat and add the tea bags.  Cover and steep 12-15 minutes.  For stronger tea, let it steep longer, up to 20 minutes.  Add the sugar, stirring vigorously until dissolved.  Allow tea to cool and pour over ice.  Garnish with lemon and mint, if using.

16 cups, enough for 4-6 diners